NELVIN C. CEPEDA / Union-Tribune A sheriff's deputy escorted Heather D'Aoust, 14, into court yesterday for her arraignment on murder and assault charges.

The father of a 14-year-old Scripps Ranch girl accused of killing her mother with a hammer said yesterday that his daughter suffers from a mental illness and needs help. After a brief hearing in San Diego Superior Court, James D'Aoust told reporters that close friends were helping the family deal with the death of Rebecca D'Aoust, 56, and the arrest of their daughter, Heather.

CHULA VISTA – Southwestern College's board president says that the board knows a fellow trustee is dating a high-ranking administrator, but it has not asked her to recuse herself from votes that affect his pay or duties.

2008 VOTE: LOCAL PROPOSITIONS

SAN DIEGO – How much power the mayor should have over the auditor who scrutinizes his departments is the central issue of Proposition C on the June 3 ballot. If Proposition C passes, the mayor would appoint the auditor – as he does now. But the auditor would report to a city audit committee instead of the mayor.

LA JOLLA – The Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla received a $20 million, five-year grant yesterday. The award propelled the institute – founded last year – into an expanding group of federally funded research centers focused on turning laboratory findings into treatments for patients.

The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon will thread through the heart of San Diego on Sunday. Unless you're wearing running shoes, don't expect getting around to come easy. With more than 20,000 people likely to compete in the annual foot and wheelchair race, those riding mass transit or driving can expect temporary road and rail closures along the route.

Plans to repair an extremely bumpy railroad crossing in National City appear to be on track. As we wrote in February and again in April, the crossing on Bay Marina Drive near Marina Way is so rough that motorists need to slow to a crawl.